William Heath Robinson

(1872 - 1944, UK)

William Heath Robinson, who signed his work W. Heath Robinson, studied art at the Islington School of Art. He wanted to make a living as a landscape painter. At the age of 25, however, he realized that the sale of just one landscape was not going to earn him a living. That year, 1897, he produced illustrations for the books: 'The Giant Crab and Other Tales From Old India', 'Danish Fairy Tales and Legends of Hans Andersen', 'Don Quixote' and 'The Pilgrim's Progress'. Robinson's source of income came from weekly magazines like The Tattler, The Bystander and The Sketch. He produced humorous drawings for them, and displayed the serious silliness for which he became famous and inspired many artists, such as Rube Goldberg.

Robinson's autobiography, 'My Line of Life', was published in 1938. When he died in 1944, he left behind an unfinished sequel to 'Uncle Lubin' and illustrations for another version of 'Don Quixote'.